Huahine

We returned to the quiet of the outer islands at twilight. While the sun set Ellen and I seemed to be the only people still moving about on the outskirts of the small village of Fare. As we waited on the dock for our boat transfer to Te Tiare Beach Resort we saw our first view of the constellations of the Southern Hemispheres skies, the ancient map to the first explores of the Polynesian archipelago. There were only a few flickers of light along the shore of our 20 minute journey to the resort. It was truly a magical sight to come around the secluded cove in the pitch black to the Barriesque Never Never Land setting of the resort. Checking into our first over water bungalow only added to the dream like quality of this delightful property. According to Philippe, the General Manager, many people never leave their over water bungalows for their entire stay.

We thoroughly enjoyed the hotel’s Arii Restaurant for our evening meals as well as the morning breakfast buffet. I dined on penne pasta with tomato sauce and goat cheese from New Zealand while Ellen sampled the fresh catch of the day cooked with both French and Polynesian accents. Our favorite desert was the assorted home made tropical fruit sorbets beautifully arranged with island flowers. The most romantic tables were set on an adjoining deck to the main open air dining area offering a view of the evening sunset spectacle. It is also worth mentioning that the service was of the quality of being welcomed guests and not customers. Every request was easily and happily accommodated no matter how strange, such as my request to have iced coffee.

We spent one full day on a circle island motorized outrigger tour. This is a great way to experience several of the islands top snorkeling spots, the over water pearl farm and visit the village of Faie, the site of the sacred blue-eyed eels. We moored on a small motu island for a picnic lunch of simple fare was included featuring cooked chicken, stir fried pork with vegetables, rice and poison cru. Huahine is primarily an agricultural island and known specifically for their watermelon which is exported to the other islands. We were treated with this refreshing fruit for our desert. Our delightful local guide Dolores kept us all entertained with stories of growing up on the island and legends of the past. Through Dolores we learned there is a small community of artists scattered about the island and monthly art shows are organized in the town of Fare. We did see one of the artist’s wonderful ceramic works at the pearl farm and had we not had the worry of still traveling on eight more air segments there were several pieces we would have purchased. We recommend this excursion for families as there were many children on board.

Highlight of the day: The incredible clear turquoise lagoon water and the spotting of a school of wild dolphins in Maroe Bay.

Our second and last day we took a 4X4 excursion with Paul Atallah , the owner of Island Eco Tours, to visit the largest archaeological site of the restored and once taboo royal marae, located by the town of Maeva on the shores of Lake Fauna Nui. Paul is a graduate of the University of Hawaii with a degree in Polynesian Anthropology and Pacific Islands Archaeology and we highly recommend visiting Huahine simply for the experience of taking his expert island excursion. Paul is the first to admit much of what we know of the earliest inhabitants is highly subjective and altered by the filter of western observation; however he did recommend reading Captain Cook’s journal for descriptions of the religious rituals and the customs of the priest and ruling families. Without a written language leaving a record, much of what is know of the early Polynesian culture is based on speculation and open to much interpretation. Paul is able to custom design any itinerary to your interests and take you on further island discoveries.

Rounding out our morning we visited two if the island’s smaller hotels and pensions and had a delicious lunch at one of the property's restaurants decorated with displays of edible home grown fruit. Ellen had local lagoon fish maki maki with a vanilla ginger sauce and I had salmon with a green pepper sauce. Specialties of the house are varo sautéed in garlic butter (a rare shrimp-like crustacean caught in sandy shallow waters, using an old fashioned trapping method) and “duos” of crab and lobster. After lunch we were escorted back to the resort by Pierre Altier, the owner of a water sports activity company specializing in Kite Surfing. Pierre is an award winning competitor in this sport and is also available to organize custom circle island tours. This is a more intimate way of experiencing the beauty of the lagoon.

Highlight of the Day: Touring the archaeological sites with American Archeologist, Paul Atallah. What a treat. Paul was a student of the famed Professor Sinoto of the Bishop Museum of Honolulu who put forward the dating of Huahine as being the 1st inhabited of the Society Islands beginning around 850 AD. Paul is a wealth of information, both on the island's history and trends of the changing political structure.